Corinth resident pledges to nix smoking habit with help of others

By IAN BENJAMIN

Thursday, February 7, 2013

ALBANY -- After finishing what she hopes will be her last cigarette, 33-year-old mother of twins Trisha Santiago vowed, in front of her coworkers and the media, to quit the habit she has had since she was 17.

Santiago, of Corinth, quit once before, when she became pregnant with twins in the summer of 2011. However, when faced with tough circumstances last year, she gave in to the desire and took up smoking again.

Those tough times began last January, when Santiago gave birth to Andrew and Alex, who were born premature, severely underweight and suffering from broncho-pulmonary dysplasia, a chronic lung disease. They required an extended stay in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit.

"It was the most painful thing in my life to see a child hooked up to tubes, fighting to breathe for its life," Santiago said.

After three long months in the NICU, her son Andrew underwent what she believed would be a simple surgery. Afterward, he did not wake up for five days.

"That was the final blow. I needed that cigarette to calm my nerves," Santiago said. "Since then, I haven't put them back down."

After nine months smoke-free, she gave in to the habit. Now, Santiago is trying to quit again. This time, however, she's not doing it alone.

Wednesday morning, Santiago, a member services manager at the Clifton Park SEFCU branch, vowed not only to herself, but to all 750 of her co-workers and in front of the news media, to quit for good.

"This time, I cannot do it on my own, I need the support of those around me," she said.

"Having a husband who's allergic to smoke, family and friends who don't smoke and wish that I would quit, it's time. And now I've got my reason, my two little boys," Santiago said. "I never want them to have to see me struggle for breath as they did."

She is not the first in the region to attempt to quit with limelight's aid; last February, Tressa Rossi of Amsterdam announced her own attempt to kick the habit. As part of her announcement and a promotion by the state American Heart Association and Smokers' Quitline, she received a red dress pin to help remind her of hew commitment. She has not smoked since.

Rossi presented that very same pin to Santiago on Wednesday, in hopes it will help her maintain a path through life unblemished by cigarettes.

February is American Heart Month, and Wednesday's event was hosted by the American Heart Association to bring awareness to the dangers smoking poses for heart health. This month, tobacco users who call the Smokers' Quitline at 1-866-NY-QUITS (697-8497) will get a red dress pin or wristband as a tangible reminder of their commitment to better heart health.

Kathy Lanni, a board member of the Capital Region AHA, encouraged Santiago to view her red dress pin as a reminder of the community's commitment to her health.

"Many of us wear our red dress pins every day," she said. "Every time you put that on, you know you are surrounded by many other people in the community who love you, want to see you do well and know you will."